When we first purchased the home, the yard was relatively green but required a minimum of two waterings a week. We had already allocated a large chunk of our water bill to the 16’x8’ raised bed for vegetables, and were not eager to continue feeding the monoculture by the curb.

I measured out the area with tape measure and through the interactive satellite images provided by our county. I tracked the sun exposure of the area throughout the first year, pinpointing where hot spots occurred. I watched the rain move through the lawn to understand how the topology determined the flow of water.